My last post of the year and my Happy New Year gift for you. Hello, everybody, hope you’re ready for some good old music pack. You may know some of these great ones, but I bet you will discover other amazing ones. Find them here.
“Time won't leave me as I am. But time won't take the boy out of this man” - City Of Blinding Lights by U2
A rather peaceful year as far as I can remember. I read a lot of books and travel a lot, and was trying to find out what was the meaning of this thing called life. Like always, it was a year marked by shocking events like Hurricane Katrina, the London bombings and the death of the great Pope John Paul II. I also used to go the movies a lot and remember seeing on the big screen favorites like Batman Begins and the Episode III of Star Wars.
But we’re here for the music, and music was a great company for me back in those days. On this list you will find some of the songs I used to love in those days of youth, music that inspired me, and music I continue listening to until this day.
So, without further ado, let’s begin:
12- Oasis – The Importance of Being Idle
I love this very British video in black and white. Great lyrics by Noel Gallagher who actually wrote and produced this classic. This song describes a way of life of many of us, a man who refuses to make a living if he’s not doing the art he loves. In the video you can see an underrated Welsh actor you may have seen in movies like The Replacements, Kevin & Perry Go Large, and The Amazing Spider-Man of 2012. The Importance of Being Idle debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart and was Oasis’ last number one in the UK. It is one of their best songs ever. Sing aloud!
11- Moby – Lift Me Up
Before Moby burned out and became the caricature he is now he actually produced some great music, this song could be considered his last good one. Lift Me Up was the first single from his seventh album, Hotel, released in 2005. Written by Moby as a tribute to a band, it achieved success in many countries and was used late for commercials and video games. I had completely forgotten about this one until I rescued it in 2025. You always feel good after hearing this one.
10- Depeche Mode – Precious
After a great decade in the 1990s, you could say things weren’t exactly as good for the electronic British band Depeche Mode. Although they continued releasing material and touring, some of the magic seemed to have disappeared. But Precious, the lead single of the band’s eleventh studio album proved there was still a lot this great band had to offer. This a beautiful, sad, and haunting song with great keyboards by the late Andy Fletcher and vocals by the always amazing Dave Gahan. The lyrics, written by the band's guitarist Martin Gore, are about his divorce from his first wife and the impact it had on their children. One of their best songs ever, this was also the best DM produced in the whole decade of the 2000s.
9- Green Day – Wake Me Up When September Ends
Using the Iraq war as a background, Greenday released a cool video for the fourth single from their great comeback album American Idiot. This is a ballad that starts acoustic to later become heavier. The lyrics deal with the death of Billie Joe Armstrong’s father, but many interpretations point also the tragic events of the September 11 attacks. I used to love watching this video, but never care about singing the lyrics. It was directed by Samuel Bayer as features actors Jamie Bell and Evan Rachel Wood. Now, you listen and enjoy what the timeless quality of rock n’ roll can do.
8- Nine Inch Nails – The Hand That Feeds
Some fans point out that this is the only song worthwhile of NIN’s fourth album, With Teeth. It was released as the lead single for that album and was written by Trent Reznor himself. One of the most successful songs of the band, it reached the top for Billboard Modern Rock Tracks, peaked at number 31 in the Billboard Hot 100, and is the band's only single to reach the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. Sort of a protest song about the Bush administration and the Iraq war of those days. It has a cool intro and nice rock rhythm. It has become a staple in their shows and it’s the 9th song Trent Reznor and company have played the most live.
7- Audioslave – Be Yourself
Chris Cornell may no longer be in this world, but his great voice and legacy will forever be with us. In 2025 the supergroup Audioslave released their second album and Be Yourself was the first single there. It topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks for several weeks and charted in several countries. Cornell said in an interview that the lyrics came from different parts of his own life including tragedies and mistakes. It has a nice pace and the intro riff by the not-so-great Tom Morello is a cool one. Too bad Audioslave didn't make more music like this.
6- Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc.
“Windmill, windmill for the land…,” I used to love singing that line back in those days when I was still a young man. Damon Albarn alternative project Gorillaz ended up becoming big and for some it's even more popular than his great band Blur. Feel Good Inc. was the lead single from the virtual band's second album, Demon Days. It peaked at No. 2 in the United Kingdom and appeared in several other charts, and it’s often included on those lists about great songs of the 2000s. If you care about what those windmills represent, well, they’re a sort of scape and freedom in contrast to the oppressive technological nightmare we are sometimes subjected to. This song it’s a banger, it sounds great after all these years and you always feel happy when you hear it even if you don’t t know what the hell it’s about.
5- Coldplay – Speed of Sound
I would have put this one as the number one, but these guys have never been fans of it and have admitted that the song didn’t turned out to be like they wanted. They have played live scarcely and was only brought back in 2025 for its 20th anniversary. Too bad because it’s such a great song. That intro with the keyboards, the great lyrics and vocals; it’s futuristic and retro at the same time, the chorus. It was the lead single of their third album, which was the best-selling album globally in 2005. Its lyrics and composition make you feel what this 21st century is about. The video, directed by Mark Romanek, with all those lights it’s amazing and timeless. This is my favorite Coldplay song ever.
4- The Rolling Stones – Streets of Love
This one brings me memories from those days; I remember being such a young man, traveling alone, visiting every record store in every town, and seeing the A Bigger Bang album poster on the walls of every record store. The very first single of the Stone’s twenty-second album, Streets of Love was written by Jagger and Richards and it deserved to be a bigger hit single. It’s a rock ballad that always feel new and timeless, and the Stone’s best song of the 2000s. RIP Charlie Watts.
3- The Wallflowers – The Beautiful Side of Somewhere
I know some media and lists refer to The Wallflowers as a one hot wonder, but don’t particularly agree with that. Written by the talented Jakob Dylan, I would put this song right up there with One Headlight and The Difference, and I think it’s my favorite from them. It has a cool vibe with its roots rock influences. I love the video and its concept where you can see Dylan just going up and up and never getting tired. Maybe it’s something of a metaphor: you always want to go up and improve yourself and, finally, at the top, you reach that "beautiful side of somewhere." I don’t know, maybe I’m rambling here. Anyway, enjoy this cool song and video.
2- Foo Fighters – Best of You
I remember the video of the great song was played ad nauseam back in those days. One the band’s biggest songs, Best of You has raw energy, great rhythm and drums by the late Taylor Hawkins, and could be considered one of the most inspirational rock songs ever. The lead single from the band's fifth studio album, and the 9th song they have played the most live, it is also their only single that reached Platinum status in the USA. I remember a while ago people making jokes about this one after finding out Dave Grohl had “another confession to make” about an illegitimate child. Timeless and universal, sing aloud!
1- U2 – City of Blinding Lights
And now my number one. The fifth track from the magnificent How to Dismantle an Atomic album, and the fourth single there, was written by Bono after the September 11 attacks and the band performing live in New York city; the line "Oh you look so beautiful tonight" it’s about Bono looking at all the people. I remember also this one appeared in an HBO series that popular in those days, that was Entourage. In the video you can see the band performing live with amazing curtains full of LED lights. The beautiful song has themes of innocence and hope, and, like many U2 songs, some people have religions interpretations about it.
If you have never listen to this one, give it a chance. And by the way, listen also to the whole album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, it won multiple Grammy awards and sounds even better after all these years.
Conclusion
From the Gorillaz video Feel Good Inc (Via: google.com)
That’s it for the last post of this 2025, guys. I hope you have liked it. Let me know in the comment section what do you think of it. Did you discover something new? Which one of these great songs is your favorite? Did I miss your favorites from that year? If so, share it with us in the comment section.
Other songs from the great year of 2005 I couldn’t include were: Right Between The Eyes by Garbage and B.Y.O.B. by System of a Down.
Since you’re there, check now another post of old but great songs of the 2000s right here:
@thereadingman/12-great-rock-songs-i
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(Image at the beginning via: insidemusic.it)
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Orlando Caine.